Each year, more than 400 people die from unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and more than 20,000 visit the emergency room. CO poisoning can be prevented with a few precautions:
What To Do
• Never use portable electric generators, charcoal grills or other similar devices inside your home, garage or in any confined area that can let carbon monoxide collect.
• Have your chimney, fireplace and woodstoves inspected before every heating season.
• Turn off space heaters before leaving a room or going to sleep.
• Never run your car engine for more than a few moments in a garage, even if the door to the outside is open. Fumes can build up quickly and can spread to the living area of your home.
• Look for clues that home appliances may be malfunctioning. Common indicators include decreased hot water supply, soot on appliances, moisture inside windows, and furnaces not heating properly.
• Install at least one carbon monoxide detector, connected to a monitoring center that operates 24/7, on every level of your home. Real protection comes from ADT — keeping your family safe from poisonous CO gas that can cause dizziness, unconsciousness and possibly death if undetected.
— NAPST
